Admiral Commanding Coastguard and Reserves
Duties
In his unpublished memoirs, Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair reproduced a memorandum on the duties of the Admiral Commanding:
1. Coastguard.
The Admiral Commanding Coastguard and Reserves is directly responsible to the Board for the General Administrative Control, and the non-naval Duties of the Coastguard.
Under the heading of General Administrative Control, he will keep in close touch with Coastguard Officers and men and their work, and will be responsible for :-
(a) Promotions and retirements.
(b) Appointing officers and men to the various Stations and making equitable transfers from Station to Station.
(c) Examination of ratings.
(d) The issue of Coastguard instructions and keeping the same up to date.
(e) Pay, allowances, and grants.
(f) Housing.
(g) Uniform.
(h) Leave of absence.
(i) Medical attendance.
(j) Education of the children of the Coastguard.
(k) Religious ministrations.
(l) Complements of stations.
(m) Rosters of Coastguard Pensioners (not R.F.R.)
Under the heading of non-Naval duties, he will deal with all questions in connection with :-
(a) Protection of the Revenue.
(b) Lifesaving.
(c) Commercial maritime signalling for Lloyds.
(d) Collection of Fishery Statistics.
2. He is the central authority with whom the following authorities deal in regard to the non-Naval duties of the Coastguard :-
Board of Customs. Board of Trade. Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Trinity House. Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. Meteorological Office. Lloyds.[1]
On 31 March, 1923 the greater part of the Coastguard was transferred to the Board of Trade and the Board of Customs and Excise. Consequently, when Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh H. D. Tothill succeeded Vice-Admiral Sir Morgan Singer on 24 July of that year, his title became "Admiral Commanding Reserves."[2]
Office of the Admiral Commanding Coastguard and Reserves
On the eve of the Great War the staff of the Admiral Commanding Coastguard and Reserves numbered seventeen; one Captain, one Secretary, one Engineer Lieutenant, one Commander, one Lieutenant, three Assistant Paymasters, one Signal Boatswain, one Chief Petty Officer torpedo instructor, five Chief or First Writers, one First Writer, and one lithographer.[3]
Admirals Commanding
Dates of appointment given:
- Admiral Sir Ernest Rice, 21 May, 1903[4]
- Admiral Sir Reginald F. H. Henderson, 24 February, 1905[5]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick S. Inglefield, 31 December, 1909[6]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur M. Farquhar, 1 January, 1913[7]
- Admiral The Honourable Sir Alexander E. Bethell, 1 June, 1915[8]
- Vice-Admiral The Honourable Sir Somerset A. Gough-Calthorpe, 5 December, 1916[9]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Cecil F. Thursby, 26 August, 1917[10]
- Admiral Sir Dudley R. S. de Chair, 23 July, 1918[11]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Morgan Singer, 23 July, 1921[12]
- Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh H. D. Tothill, 24 July, 1923[13]
- Admiral Lewis Clinton-Baker, 1925 – 1927
- Vice-Admiral Arthur A. M. Duff, 1927
- Admiral John Donald Kelly, 1929 – 1931
- Admiral Henry J. S. Brownrigg, 1936
Henry Wise Parker also apparently were Admiral Commanding Reserves.[Fact Check]
Assistants
Dates of appointment given:
- Rear-Admiral George F. King Hall, 1 October, 1902.[14]
- Captain John E. Bearcroft, 15 October, 1904.[15]
- Rear-Admiral Thomas P. Walker, 17 April, 1906.[16]
- Captain Frederick A. Warden, 23 March, 1908.[17]
- Captain Richard P. F. Purefoy, 5 March, 1909.[18]
- Captain Mark E. F. Kerr, 28 March, 1911.[19]
- Captain Cresswell J. Eyres, 16 November, 1912.[20]
- Captain Hugh H. D. Tothill, 5 April, 1913.[21]
- Rear-Admiral (Retired) William H. Baker-Baker, 31 December, 1914.[22]
- Captain Philip H. Colomb, 31 January, 1916.[23]
- Captain Edward L. Booty, 6 February, 1917.[24]
Footnotes
- ↑ Memoirs. Volume V. pp. 80-81. De Chair Papers. Imperial War Museum. PP/MCR/C4. Reel 2.
- ↑ "Naval and Military" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 24 July, 1923. Issue 43401, col C, p. 20.
- ↑ Navy Estimates for the Year 1914–1915. p. 156.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 9 May, 1903. Issue 37076, col D, p. 8.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 14 January, 1905. Issue 37604, col B, p. 6.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 30 December, 1909. Issue 39156, col C, p. 8.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 31 December, 1912. Issue 40096, col F, p. 4.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 423.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1917). p. 423.
- ↑ The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 423.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 1109.
- ↑ "Naval, Military and Air" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 23 July, 1921. Issue 42780, col E, p. 14.
- ↑ Tothill Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 186.
- ↑ King-Hall Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 750.
- ↑ Bearcroft Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 85.
- ↑ Walker Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1378.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 423.
- ↑ Purefoy Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 107.
- ↑ Kerr Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 30.
- ↑ Eyres Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 9.
- ↑ Tothill Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 296.
- ↑ Baker-Baker Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 118.
- ↑ Colomb Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 476.
- ↑ The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 396r.
Bibliography